By Daily Caller News Foundation reporter Melissa O’Rourke.
California’s population is growing again, but not because Americans are moving in, according to The Wall Street Journal.
In 2024, nearly 240,000 Californians packed up and left the state, WSJ reported. The state’s population still rose by 0.6% overall because more than 361,000 immigrants arrived to take their place.
The exodus from the state is not a new phenomenon, as around 344,000 Californians left in 2023, while 292,000 international migrants arrived, the outlet reported. (MORE NEWS: Gavin Newsom Begs Regulators To Keep Refineries In Biz After California Dems Ran Industry Out Of Town)
About 56% of Californians have considered leaving the state due to the exorbitant cost of living, a 2024 Emerson College poll found. California’s median home price topped $900,000 in 2024 — well over double the national average — while utility and gas prices remain among the country’s highest.
The state’s population decreased for the first time in history in 2020, when over 477,000 Californians left, leading to the state losing a congressional seat. The population continued to decline until 2023, buoyed by an influx of international immigrants.
Population Trends
The H-1B visa program, which allows businesses to employ skilled foreign workers with bachelor’s degrees, brought nearly 79,000 workers to the state in 2024, WSJ reported. However, applications for the program fell by 25% compared to a year ago due to higher fees and expectations that the Trump administration could impose more restrictive immigration policies.
The H-1B visa program has sparked fierce debate among Republicans in recent months. While big names such as Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have defended the program, opponents have argued it allows companies to undercut American workers by importing cheaper labor from abroad.
In addition to California, many states rely on immigration to drive population growth. In 38 states and Washington, D.C., immigration outpaced domestic migration last year, and in 16 states, it was the only reason populations grew, WSJ reported.
California has the highest share of foreign-born residents in the nation, with more than 25% of its population born outside the U.S., according to the Public Policy Institute of California. As of 2022, about 17% of California’s immigrant population was in the country illegally, according to the Pew Research Center. (THREAT: Mainstream Media Finally Wakes Up To Massive Geological Threat To US)
At the same time, the Golden State faces mounting challenges, including a $45 billion budget deficit, while programs like Medi-Cal — covering hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants — are projected to cost taxpayers $8.4 billion in the 2024–2025 fiscal year.
The office of Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
TMM Analysis & Action
Don’t focus on the immigration of this situation.
This story is actually about 240,000 who left California — they were the lucky ones, those able to do so despite the hellish tax nightmare the Golden State’s Democrat Party have used to imprison countless residents in the state.
“If I wasn’t going to lose so much on punishment taxes, I’d have moved myself, my family, my extended family, and all of my businesses out of California half a decade ago. The government has truly weaponized this place to hold us prisoner,” one southern California resident told TMM. “Crime, taxes, quality of life, and the corruption? That is what defines the place I used to call paradise.”
Even though we’re not in a major election year, your state government can still destroy your life to the same extent as those in California. The most nefarious actors in government are those purchasing politicians from behind a veil of pro-social causes. But you can kick each and every bad politician out of their position of power by simply using your voice.
Your elected officials don’t want you to know this, so get involved to learn more today.
